Oklahoma’s Supreme Court Decides To Keep Abortion Bans On Hold

AP: Oklahoma Supreme Court Keeps Anti-Abortion Laws On Hold While Challenge Is Pending 
The Oklahoma Supreme Court reiterated its position on Tuesday in a 5-4 opinion that the state constitution guarantees a woman’s right to an abortion when necessary to preserve her life, although the procedure remains illegal in virtually all other cases. In a case involving a legal challenge to five separate anti-abortion bills passed by the Legislature in 2021, the court ordered a lower court to keep in place a temporary ban on three of those laws while the merits of the case are considered. Two of the laws were already put on hold by a district court judge. (Murphy, 11/14)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Top Ohio Republicans Indicate Bill Blocking Judicial Review Of State Abortion Laws Won’t Pass 
A pair of top Ohio Republicans are throwing cold water on some GOP lawmakers’ hopes to pass legislation stripping Ohio judges of the power to rule on the state’s new abortion-rights amendment. Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens said Tuesday that he does not consider the proposal, which would directly challenge the traditional separation of powers between the state’s legislative and judicial branches, to be serious legislation. (Pelzer, 11/14)

The Texas Tribune: More Women Join Texas Abortion Lawsuit 
When Kimberly Manzano’s doctor first noticed some irregularities with her pregnancy, she turned to God, praying constantly for good news. When the diagnosis worsened, she and her husband sought comfort in the Bible’s Book of Hebrews — the book of hope. And when her doctor finally determined her baby could not survive outside the womb, she asked her pastor for advice. “He said, ‘if you believe your doctor to be a godly man, take what the doctor says as clarity from God in your decision,’” she recalls. Manzano and her husband, both devout Christians, decided the most loving thing they could do for their son was terminate the pregnancy. It was a difficult decision for the couple, who both considered themselves anti-abortion before this. (Klibanoff, 11/14)

Also —

Axios: Abortions Increase In Pennsylvania Post-Roe 
The number of abortions in Pennsylvania increased after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, according to a new report. Why it matters: The new data is from a first-of-its kind study from the Society of Family Planning encompassing the full 12 months since the ruling. (D'Onofrio, 11/15)

AP: Senate Panel Takes A Step Toward Ending Sen. Tuberville's Blockade Of Military Nominations
Senate Democrats pushed ahead Tuesday with a resolution that would allow for the quick confirmation of hundreds of military nominees, an attempt to maneuver around a blockade from Sen. Tommy Tuberville over a Pentagon abortion policy. ... The panel voted 9-7 to approve a resolution that would allow the Senate to confirm groups of the military nominees at once for the remainder of the congressional term. (Jalonick, 11/14)

Axios: How The Next Republican President Could Stop Most Abortions Without Congress
The next Republican president could effectively ban most abortions through a simple policy change at the Department of Justice, experts and advocates on both sides of the abortion debate say. While Republicans disagree about whether to pursue a national abortion ban that would face long odds in Congress, a GOP president may be able to unilaterally curb access to medication abortion across the country using an obscure 19th-century law. (Owens, 11/15)

KFF Health News: The Unusual Way A Catholic Health System Is Wielding An Abortion Protest Law
A Catholic hospital system is suing several California patients and their advocates because the patients allegedly refused to be discharged. The suits invoke a novel legal approach: accusing them of trespassing under a California law intended to stop anti-abortion protesters from blocking access to health facilities. Dignity Health has filed three lawsuits in Sacramento County accusing patients of “commercial blockade” for refusing to vacate hospital beds even though the health care provider had deemed them medically and legally eligible to either go home or go to another facility. Dignity alleges the patients “unreasonably and unlawfully” refused discharge, disrupting its ability to serve others at a time when health facilities were overwhelmed by covid-19. (Lin, 11/15)

The Boston Globe: AG Campbell: New Unit Will Crack Down On Crisis Pregnancy Centers
It was delightful news for the Worcester woman following her ultrasound last year at Clearway Clinic: A nurse said the results showed the start of a healthy pregnancy, according to the woman. Her delight turned to devastation the next month, however, when she suffered a sudden shooting pain in her side and, after being rushed to the hospital, learned there never was a healthy pregnancy. Clearway Clinic had allegedly misdiagnosed an ectopic pregnancy that would need to be ended immediately, or she could die. (Scott, 11/14)

In other reproductive health news —

The Atlantic: Why So Many Accidental Pregnancies Happen In Your 40s
After she turned 42, Teesha Karr thought she was done having kids. Six, in her mind, was perfect. And besides, she was pretty sure she had started menopause. For the past six months she’d had all the same signs as her friends: hot flashes, mood swings, tender breasts. She and her husband decided they could probably safely do away with contraception. But less than a month later, Karr felt a familiar twinge of pain in her ovary—the same twinge she’d felt every time she’d been pregnant before. (Gross, 11/14)

AP: Documents Show The WHO Paid Sexual Abuse Victims In Congo $250 Each 
Internal documents show the WHO paid at least 104 women who say they were sexually abused or exploited by officials working to stop Ebola. ... Paula Donovan, who co-directs the Code Blue campaign to eliminate what it calls impunity for sexual misconduct in the U.N., described the WHO payments to victims of sexual abuse and exploitation as “perverse.” “It’s not unheard of for the U.N. to give people seed money so they can boost their livelihoods, but to mesh that with compensation for a sexual assault, or a crime that results in the birth of a baby, is unthinkable,” she said. (Cheng, 11/14)